THE  FAITH  OF  BARTTM/EUS. 


A SERMON 


REV.  WILLIAM  R.  NICHOLSON,  D.D., 

RECTOR  OP  ST.  PAULS  CHURCH,  BOSTON, 

PKEAC1IE1)  AT  THE 

(Lburtlj  of  the  jjolg  friiutg,  gpabrlpbia, 

BEFORE  THE 

Protestant  Episcopal  Association  for  the  Pro- 
/ motion  of  Christianity  among  the  Jews, 

JANUARY  6th,  1870. 

WITH 

THE  ELEVENTH  ANNUAL  REPORT  AND  CONSTITUTION 
OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

HENRY  B.  ASHMEAD,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTER, 
Nos.  1102  & 1101  Sansom  Street. 

1870. 


THE  FAITH  OF  BART1MMS 


A SERMON 


BY 

RE V.  WILLIAM  R.  NICHOLSON,  D.D., 

RECTOR  OP  ST.  PACL*8  CHURCH,  BOSTON, 


PREACHED  AT  THE 


Cjjurclj  flf  tlic  Jjolg  ®rinittr,  |pbUat)plpM;u 


BEFORE  THE 


Protestant  Episcopal  Association  for  the  Pro- 
motion of  Christianity  among  the  Jews, 


JANUARY  6th,  1870. 


WITH 

THE  ELEVENTH  ANNUAL  REPORT  AND  CONSTITUTION 
OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

HENRY  B.  ASHMEAD,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTER, 
Nos.  1102  & 1101  Sansom  Street. 

1S70. 


■ 


'am 


ELEVENTH  ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

BOARD  OF  MANAGERS. 

JANUARY,  187  0. 


Iii  reviewing  the  work  of  the  past  year  the  Board  feel 
that  there  is  great  cause  of  thankfulness  for  the  bless- 
ing of  God  on  their  feeble  efforts  to  promote  the  spir- 
itual welfare  of  Israel’s  children.  Though  our  mission 
may  still  be  considered  as  the  “ day  of  small  things,”  it  is 
nevertheless  a day  of  growth.  The  last  year’s  labors  have 
been  marked  by  much  encouragement.  The  Missionary 
has  again  visited  New  York,  Boston,  Providence,  Jersey 
City,  Newark,  Pittsburgh  and  Danville,  and  his  message 
among  the  Jews  has,  on  the  whole,  met  with  a good 
reception.  The  leading  clergymen  of  the  above  named 
cities  also  received  him  in  the  kindest  and  most  cordial 
manner,  pledged  their  co-operation  in  the  work,  and  gen- 
erously performed  their  promises.  This  has  enabled  us  to 
appoint  the  greatly  needed  Assistant  to  the  Missionary ; 
and  we  feel  thus  encouraged  to  prosecute  our  work. 

The  Assembly  of  the  “Reformed  Rabbins,”  held  in  this 
city  last  November,  has  done  much  to  excite  and  promote 
a discussion  among  the  Jews  of  the  most  vital  importance. 
Those  who  thus  met  together  were  evidently  bent  on 
destroying  the  fundamental  truths  of  Revelation — while 
the  controversy  thus  excited  by  the  Reformed  Sect  has 
been  carried  on  vigorously  by  learned  Jews,  who  have 
earnestly  protested  against  the  unhallowed  zeal  with  which 


IV 


the  innovators  have  called  in  question  the  most  sacred 
doctrines  and  observances  of  the  Jewish  nation. 

Indeed,  it  must  he  admitted  by  Christian  as  well  as  Jew, 
that  the  dogmas  of  this  party  are  not  only  worthless,  for 
the  achievement  of  any  real  good  to  man,  but  even  calcu- 
lated to  do  great  injury  to  the  cause  of  revealed  truth. 
These  rationalistic  dicta  of  the  Assembly  are  : 

1st.  The  rejection  of  the  belief  in  Israel’s  restoration. 
2d.  The  rejection  of  those  prayers  which  refer  to  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah. 

A leading  Jewish  paper  thus  fitly  notices  their  proceed- 
ings : “By  these  dicta  (he  Messiah,  Jerusalem,  Canaan, 
the  restoration  of  Zion,  and  of  our  national  and  spiritual 
glories,  are  suppressed  as  a stain  and  a shame.  What 
ruins!  What  abysses!  Never  can  they  repair  the  mis- 
chief— never  can  they  find  again  the  pathway  of  the  Sanc- 
tuary— the  way  of  the  Israelite  heart.” 

One  of  the  immediate  effects  of  this  rationalistic  teach- 
ing is  productive  of  good  ; it  causes  many  to  consider  and 
reflect  upon  the  claims  of  Christianity.  Orthodox  Jews 
express  their  astonishment  on  hearing  from  the  Missionary 
that  Christianity  is  essentially  a belief  in  the  Messiah — 
that  it  teaches  the  future  restoration  of  the  kingdom  to 
Israel — as  well  as  God’s  favor  and  designs  of  mercy  to 
them  for  the  “father’s  sake.” 

The  New  Testament  is  now  more  sought  after  and  read, 
and  the  teachings  of  Israel’s  Messiah  are  thus  promoted 
among  them. 

Our  Missionary  often  meets  with  Jews  who  confess  that 
they  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  who  are  deterred 
from  making  an  open  profession  of  their  faith  in  Him 
from  a variety  of  reasons — chief  among  them,  however,  is 
the  fact  that  such  an  avowal  involves  a complete  sunder- 
ing of  family  tics  and  associations,  and  in  many  cases  ina- 
bility to  procure  a living  would  be  the  consequence. 

In  fact  this  is  one  of  the  principal  difficulties  with  which 
we  have  to  contend.  Were  we  able  to  find  suitable  em- 


ployment  for  converts  who  might  need  it  to  render  them- 
selves independent  of  charitable  aid,  each  year  would 
doubtless  see  the  number  greatly  increased  of  those  who 
“ were  added  to  the  faith.”  In  the  social  and  religious 

o 

system  of  the  Jewrs,  material  help  byway  of  employment, 
as  well  as  money,  is  usually  extended  to  co-religionists  at 
all  needing  such  aid.  All  such  assistance  is,  of  course, 
refused  to  any  who  leave  Modern  Judaism.  The  London 
Society,  in  order  to  meet  this  difficulty,  established  the 
printing  and  book-binding  trades,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
enabling  the  converts  to  sustain  themselves. 

Here  we  have  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  it  is  not  possible 
for  our  Missionary  to  provide  for  such  cases.  May  our 
Heavenly  Father  inspire  the  hearts  of  some  who  wish  well 
for  Israel’s  children,  to  assist  us  in  this  most  important 
branch  of  our  work — cither  by  means  enabling  us  to  fur- 
nish employment,  or  assistance  in  procuring  situations  for 
those  who  would  gladly  make  open  profession  of  their 
faith,  were  not  beggary  the  consequence. 

Appended  to  this  will  be  found  a resumd  of  the  Mis- 
sionary’s labors  for  the  past  year,  so  far  at  least  as  his 
official  acts  can  be  statistically  expressed. 

With  the  unmistakable  tokens  of  the  Divine  blessing 
in  the  past,  the  encouragement  of  the  present,  and  the 
favorable  outlook  for  future  labor,  the  Board  feel  justified 
in  calling  for  yet  larger  contributions  at  the  coming  Good- 
Friday  offering  from  those  who  in  truth  and  sincerity 
“pray 'for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem.” 


REPORT  OF  TIIE  MISSIONARY. 

During  the  past  year  several  applications  for  instruction 
aud  baptism  were  received.  On  Christmas  Eve  last  one 
Daughter  of  Abraham  was  baptized ; one  is  still  under 
instruction,  and  the  rest  could  not  be  accepted.  Twrenty- 


VI 


nine  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Israel  have  been  admitted,  by 
the  holy  rite  of  baptism,  into  the  bosom  of  the  church 
since  our  organization.  This  number  does  not  embrace 
those  who  joined  our  churches  outside  of  this  city,  nor 
those  who  joined  the  Lutheran,  Reformed,  Presbyterian, 
Baptist  and  Methodist  denominations.  The  visits  paid 
from  January  1,  1869,  to  January  1,  1870,  numbered  239, 
excluding  40  visits  at  Hew  York,  Hewark,  Boston  and 
Danville,  Pa.  Visits  received  from  inquirers  and  baptized 
Jews,  129.  Books  and  tracts  distributed  during  the  year: 
Bibles,  3 ; Hew  Testaments  in  Hebrew,  14 ; parts  of  Hew 
Testament,  10  ; Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  Hebrew,  3 ; 
Pilgrim’s  Progress  in  Hebrew,  4;  pages  of  tracts  distri- 
buted, 14,450.  The  Missionary  officiated  82  times, 
preached  77  times,  baptized  1 adult  of  the  House  of  Israel 
and  3 infants;  administered  the  Holy  Communion  9 
times. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Louis  C.  Hewman. 

December  31,  1869. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


i. 

This  Society  shall  be  called  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Christianity  among  the 
Jews. 


II. 

Subscribers  of  two  dollars  or  more  per  annum  shall  be 
considered  members,  and  a payment  of  twenty  dollars  at 
one  time  shall  constitute  a life  member. 

HI. 

The  officers  shall  be  a President,  Vice-Presidents,  twelve 
Managers,  a Treasurer,  a Corresponding  Secretary,  and 
Recording  Secretary,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  members 
of  the  Society  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January,  and  shall 
have  charge  of  all  its  affairs,  appoint  its  missionaries  or 
other  agents,  and  make,  from  time  to  time,  by-laws  foi 
their  own  government. 


OFFICERS  FOR  1870 


PRESIDENT. 

Rt.  Rev.  WM.  BACON  STEVENS,  D.D. 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  Allen  McCoskry,  D.D.,  D.C.L., 
Rt.  Rev.  Wm.  Henry  Odenheimer.  D.D..  LL.D.. 


Rev.  M.  A.  D.  W.  Howe,  D.D., 
Rev.  E.  A.  Hoffman,  D.D., 
Rev.  George  Leeds,  D.D., 
Rev.  H.  J.  Morton,  D.D., 

Rev.  R.  Newton,  D.D., 

Rev.  W.  W.  Spear,  D.D  , 


Rev.  B.  Watson,  D.D., 

Rev.  E.  A.  Washburn,  D.D, 
Rev.  Phillips  Brooks, 

Rev.  T.  M.  Martin, 

Rev.  Wilbur  F.  Paddock, 
Rev.  J.  T.  Walden. 


managers. 


Rev.  Samuel  E.  Appleton, 
Rev.  R.  Farnum  Chase, 
Rev.  Thomas  F.  Davies, 
Lewis  R.  Ashhurst, 

S.  K.  Ashton,  M.D., 

L.  Montgomery  Bond, 


Rev.  Chas.  W.  Duane, 
Rev.  Charles  E.  Murray, 
Rev.  C.  W.  Quick, 

II.  M.  Kimmey, 

T.  G.  Morton,  M.D., 
Edward  Olmsted. 


treasurer. 

Zebulon  Locke,  Esq.,  1010  Market  Street. 


corresponding  secretary. 

Rev.  Charles  T.  Kellogo,  710  North  Eighth  Street. 


RECORDING  SECRETARY. 

Samuel  Ashhurst,  M.D.,  1423  Walnut  Street. 

MISSIONARY. 

Rev.  Louis  C.  Newman,  411  Wetherill  Street. 


ASSISTANT  TO  THE  MISSIONARY. 

Mr.  Bertuold  F.  Steiner,  Divinity  School,  West  Philadelphia 


IX 


Z.  Locke,  Treasurer,  in  account  with  Protestant  Episcopal  Association  for  the 
Promotion  of  Christianity  among  the  Jews. 

1869.  Du. 

Jan.  1.  To  balance  on  hand $135  61 

Collections  at  Annual  Meeting,  ....  49  80 

Cash  from  It.,  Honesdale,  Pa.,  .....  5 00 

J.  R.  Brown,  at  Pittsburgh,  . . . . 20  00 

lion.  R.  C.  Winthrop,  Boston,  . . 20  00 

Good  Friday  Coll.  Cb.  of  Epiphany,  Phila.,  . . 154  47 

St.  Peter’s  Church,  Phoenixville,  Pa., . . . . 9 25 

St.  James’  Church,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  . . . . 6 56 

Calvary  Church,  Northern  Liberties,  Phila.,  . . 7 16 

St.  Stephen’s  Church,  Phila., 74  76 

St.  Luke’s  Church,  Germantown,  Pa.,  . . . 29  20 

Church  of  the  Faith,  Mahanoy  City,  Pa.,  . . . 6 95 

St.  John’s  Church,  Ashland,  Pa.,  . . . . 1 69 

St.  Luke’s  Church,  Phila., 81  20 

Church  of  the  Mediator,  Phila.,  . . . . 22  00 

Church  of  the  Advent,  Phila., 6 00 

St.  James’  Church,  Kingsessing,  . . . . 10  00 

Christ  Church,  Pottstown,  Pa., 6 00 

Calvary  Church,  East  Liberty,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  . . 7 00 

St.  Phillip’s  Church,  Summit  llill,  Pa.,  . . . 3 00 

St.  John’s  Church,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  ....  7 00 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Upper  Providence,  Pa.,  . . . 7 00 

Grace  Church,  Honesdale,  Pa., 6 22 

St.  Mary’s,  Burlington,  N.  J., 12  84 

Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Phila.,  ....  152  00 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  Phila., 73  40 

Trinity  Church,  Southwark,  Phila , . . . . 24  00 

Trinity  Church,  Woburn,  Mass., 10  00 

All  Saints’  Church,  Lower  Dublin,  Pa.,  . . . 6 65 

St.  Stephen’s  Church,  Wilkcsbarre,  Pa.,  . . . 31  00 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  Mauch  Chunk,  . . . . 26  87 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  White  Haven, 2 59 

St.  John’s  Church,  Marietta,  Pa.,  ....  8 60 

Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles’,  St.  Clair,  Pa.,  . . 3 60 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Cheltenham,  Pa.,  ....  170  87 

St.  James’  Church,  Schuylkill  Haven,  . . . . 6 00 

Church  of  Our  Saviour,  West  Philadelphia,  . , 35  04 

Emanuel  Church,  Kensington,  Phila.,  . . . . 10  00 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Bloomsburg,  Pa.,  . . . . 15  04 

Trinity  Church,  Easton,  Pa.,  . . . . . 15  00 

St.  John's  Church,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  ....  6 68 


Carried  forward 


$1283  95 


X 


Brought  forward 

S1283  95 

St.  Peter’s  Church,  Baltimore,  Md., 

. 

. 50  00 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  Southboro’,  Mass., 

16  21 

Grace  Church,  Baltimore,  Md., 

. 50  00 

Trinity  Church,  Princeton,  N.  J., 

15  67 

St.  Paul’s,  Boston,  Mass., 

. 100  00 

Trinity  Church,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 

25  00 

Christ  Church,  Philada., 

9 50 

Emanuel  Church,  Boston,  Mass., 

157  52 

St.  John’s  Church,  Longwood,  Mass  , 

. 85  00 

Trinity  Church,  Boston,  Mass.,  . 

60  00 

St.  Luke’s  Church,  Chelsea,  Mass., 

. 10  00 

St.  James’  Church,  Bristol,  Pa.,  . 

5 00 

Christ  Church,  Media,  Pa.,  . 

3 00 

St.  Peter’s  Church,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  . 

9 15 

Grace  Church,  New  York, 

. 50  00 

Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Lower  Merion,  Pa., 

6 00 

Christ  Church,  Germantown,  Pa., . 

. 36  00 

Church  of  the  Nativity,  Philada., 

11  00 

St.  Peter’s  Church,  Philada., 

. 120  24 

St.  Andrew’s  Church,  Philada.,  . 

80  00 

Church  of  the  Ascension,  Philada., 

. 10  00 

Church  of  the  Atonement,  Philada.,  . 

52  71 

St.  John’s  Church,  Charlestown,  Mass., 

. 22  00 

Rev.  M.  Stickney  Church,  Boston,  Mass., 

10  00 

Calvary  Church,  Germantown,  Pa., 

. 29  75 

St.  John’s  Church,  York,  Pa.,  . 

35  00 

St.  John’s  Ghurch,  Providence,  R.  I.,  . 

. 106,10 

St.  Matthew’s  Church,  Sunbury,  Pa., . 

2 97 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  Northumberland,  Pa., 

1 03 

Christ  Church,  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  . 

14  50 

St.  Luke’s  Church,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  . 

. 10  21 

Grace  Church,  Mt.  Airy,  Pa., 

13  85 

Grace  Church,  Lawrence,  Pa., 

. 10  00 

A.  E.  TV.,  Chester,  Pa., 

50 

Church  of  the  Covenant,  Philada., 

. 17  80 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  Frankford,  Pa.,  . 

51  53 

St.  Philip’s  Church,  Philada., 

. 25  00 

St.  Matthew’s  Church,  Philada., 

. 7 00 

Church  of  the  Incarnation,  New  York,  . 

. 50  00 

Grace  Church,  Allentown,  Pa.,  . 

5 25 

St.  Matthew’s  Church,  Jersey  City,  N.  J., 

. 30  00 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Baltimore,  Md., 

84  50 

Diocese  of  New  Jersey,  . 

. 83  50 

Carried  forward, 


$2801  44 


XI 


Brought  forward,  $2861  44 

To  cash  from  St.  John’s  Church,  Jamaica  Plains,  Mass.,  ...  25  00 

St.  John's  Church,  Charlestown,  Mass.,  additional,  . 10  00 

Emanuel  Church,  Ilolmesburg,  Pa.,  ....  G 00 

Mrs.  Randolph, 5 00 

Edward  II.  Williams,  Life  Member,  . . . . 20  00 

Thank  Offering,  Mrs.  E.  B.  Stork, 100  00 


$3,027  44 

1869.  Ca. 

By  Cash  paid  Rev.  L.  C.  Newman,  salary, $1,500  00 


Rev.  L.  C.  Newman,  extra  appropriation,  . . 300  00 

Rev.  L C.  Newman,  poor’s  purse,  ....  300  00 

B.  F.  Steiner,  salary, 300  00 

Missionary’s  Travelling  Expenses 167  33 

Printing,  Postage,  &c. 119  89 

Dec.  31.  By  balance  to  new  account ' . . 340  22 


E.  and  0.  E.  $3,027  44 


Z.  LOCKE,  Treasurer. 


The  undersigned  having  examined  the  Treasurer’s  accounts,  find  them 
correct. 


February  14,  1870. 


Lewi3  R.  Ashhcrst, 
H.  M.  Kimmey. 


\ Auditors. 


Our  friends  are  particularly  requested  to  remark  that  this  balance  is 
not  sufficient  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  Society  to  the  end  of  our  fiscal  year 
on  the  1st  of  April.  Three  months  additional  salary  of  the  missionary  and  his 
assistant  will  then  be  due,  and  the  collections  on  Good  Friday  will  none  of 
them  be  realized  till  late  in  that  month.  So  that  the  Treasurer  will  then  be 
overdrawn. 


✓ 


THE  FAITH  OF  BARTIM/EUS: 


ITS  LESSONS  FOR  US  IN 

OUR  CHRISTIAN  WORK  AMONG  THE  JEWS. 


“Bund  Bartim.eus  sat  bt  the  highway  side  begging.  And  when  nE 

HEARD  THAT  IT  WAS  JeSUS  OF  NaZARETH,  HE  BEGAN  TO  CRY  OUT, 
Jesus,  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  And  many  charged  him 

THAT  HE  SHOULD  HOLD  HIS  PEACE  ; BUT  HE  CRIED  THE  MORE  A GREAT 
DEAL,  SON  OF  DaYID,  HAVE  MERCY  ON  ME.  AND  JeSUS  COMMANDED 
HIM  TO  BE  CALLED,  AND  SAID  UNTO  HIM,  Wn AT  WILT  THOU  THAT  I 
SHOULD  DO  UNTO  THEE?  The  BLIND  MAN  SAID,  LORD,  THAT  I MIGHT 
RECEIVE  MY  SIGHT.  AND  JeSUS  SAID  UNTO  HIM,  TnY  FAITH  HATH 
MADE  THEE  WHOLE.  And  IMMEDIATELY  HE  RECEIVED  HIS  SIGHT.” 

Mark  x.,  parts  of  the  last  seven  verses. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  Saviour’s  mira- 
cles. All  the  miracles  have  not  the  same  local  relations, 
and  in  this  difference  lies  their  great  and  varied  instruct- 
iveness. 

The  miracle,  merely  as  such,  is  but  a skeleton  wonder  ; 
the  miracle  in  the  midst  of  its  circumstances  is  that  same 
wonder  clothed  upon  with  a living  form  and  a speaking 
face.  A poor  blind  beggar,  in  his  accustomed  seat  by  the 
roadside,  learns  that  Jesus,  the  Hazarene,  is  near  him. 
At  once  he  bethinks  himself  of  his  blindness,  and  cries 
out  “Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.”  And 
when  the  people  bid  him  be  silent,  he  becomes  only  the 
more  urgent,  “ Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.”  Jesus 
is  prevailed  upon  by  the  cry,  calls  the  wretched  man  to 
Him,  puts  His  own  power  at  the  command  of  the  beggar, 
and  then,  mentioning  that  the  effectiveness  of  the  cry  is 
due  to  the  faith  of  the  crier,  instantly  makes  him  to  see : 


14 


according  to  Matthew,  touching  the  blind  eyes,  and  ac- 
cording to  Luke,  saying  this  one  word,  receive  thy  sight. 
These  are  the  facts  in  the  case  so  far  as  we  need  them  for 
our  present  purpose  ; and  we  may  briefly  arrange  them 
thus:  Bartimfeus  trusted  in  Jesus  as  being  Son  of  David; 
he  was  commended  of  Jesus  for  such  faith,  and  in  reward 
of  his  faith  he  received  from  Jesus  the  blessedness  of  sight. 
But,  first  of  all,  let  me  say,  that  I have  selected  this  case 
of  Bartinneus  as  strikingly  illustrating,  in  certain  regards, 
the  nature  and  requirements  of  our  work  amongst  the 
Jews.  The  fundamental  principle  of  his  faith,  on  which 
rested  the  actual  exercise  of  his  faith  in  the  Person  of 
Jesus,  is  that  which  characterizes,  even  to-day,  every  Jew 
in  the  world,  if  only  he  has  remained  true  to  his  tradi- 
tions, not  having  lost  his  own  mental  identity  in  the  all- 
destructive infidelity  of  the  day.  ~We  may  accept  him  as 
a perfect  type  of  his  race,  and  especially  as  exemplifying 
what  is  the  particular  state  of  mind  which  we  must  expect 
to  find  in  those  of  them,  whom  we  may  get  to  listen  favor- 
ably to  our  Christian  teachings  ; meanwhile,  the  reception 
which  Jesus  accorded  him — a reception  so  freely  tendered 
him  from  precisely  his  own  point  of  view — also  exempli- 
fies what  should  be  our  sympathy  with  the  Jews  in  certain 
features  of  their  Messianic  faith,  if  we  are  to  work  among 
them  with  any  tolerable  degree  of  success.  This  is  why  I 
now  ask  your  attention  to  this  very  simple,  though  ever  so 
beautiful,  incident  of  the  gospel  history.  I exceedingly 
deprecate  any  misconception  of  my  subject  as  to  its  in- 
tended attitude  on  this  occasion.  I do  not  present  it  as 
carrying  the  main  issue  ; but  only  as  illustrative  of  what 
must  be,  in  certain  regards,  our  own  faith  and  hope,  if  we 
are  to  be  in  full  sympathy  with  our  chosen  work.  Of 
course,  the  main  business  in  whatever  missionary  under- 
taking, whether  among  Jews  or  Gentiles,  is  to  preach 
among  them  the  propitiator}7  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ  for 
the  sins  of  men — to  hold  Him  up  in  His  blood  and  right- 
eousness, as  any  man’s  only  salvation  from  condemnation 


15 


and  death — sweetly  to  enforce  Him  on  the  hearts  of  men 
as  Him  who  knew  no  sin,  and  yet  was  made  sin  for  ns 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him. 
It  is  a question  simply  and  essentially  of  the  salvation  of 
souls ; and  for  any  such  work  we  need  to  he  ourselves  afire 
with  love  to  Jesus  as  dist  inctively  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  and 
with  love  to  individual  souls  as  distinctively  those  for  whom 
lie  died.  Herein  is  the  foundation  of  our  cause.  These 
are  its  essential  claims.  We  plead  with  you  for  promoting 
the  cause  of  the  salvation  of  individual  Jews  by  faith  in 
the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ.  At  the  same  time,  how- 
ever, all  this  being  well  secured  in  our  own  minds,  we 
should  not  forget  that  he  is  the  most  effective  teacher  of 
men  on  any  subject,  who  is  not  merely  their  teacher,  nor 
even  merely  their  well-wisher,  but  who  gives  his  instruc- 
tions, and  makes  his  arguments  burn,  in  a real  living  sym- 
pathy of  interest  with  interest.  And  then  possibly  we 
might  quicken  your  own  efforts  at  sending  onward  among 
the  Jews  such  properly  qualified  preachers  of  the  Gospel 
to  them,  if  we  could  bring  you  to  feel  how  warm  with  a 
living  human  beauty  was  that  faith  of  Bartimteus,  a sym- 
pathy with  which  is  so  requisite  for  putting  your  thoughts 
and  feelings  in  effective  communication  with  the  work ; 
for  it  is  then  we  plead  best  for  such  a cause  as  is  already 
fully  acknowledged  in  its  leading  importance,  when  we  so 
make  use  of  its  outlying  connections  as  to  call  forth  in  its 
service  some  one  or  other  of  the  operative  feelings  of 
our  nature ; as,  of  two  specimens  of  the  very  same  ar- 
gument, both  equally  well  reasoned,  that  will  be  the  more 
powerful,  which,  though  not  more  effective  than  the 
other  for  convincing  the  understanding,  yet  does  what 
the  other  does  not — touches  into  action  as  well  our  sen- 
timents of  the  beautiful  or  the  sublime ; or,  to  compare 
great  things  with  small,  and  Divine  things  with  secular, 
what  was  it  but  the  ancient  historic  greatness  of  Greece — 
a mere  sentiment — which,  at  her  revolution  of  fifty  years 
ago,  thrilled  the  nations  with  so  exquisite  an  iuterest,  and 


1G 


made  so  uncommonly  eloquent  that  clearest  and  simplest 
of  our  human  instincts,  the  sense  of  the  injustice  of  op- 
pression. Even  so,  with  God’s  blessing,  might  we  be 
borne  onward  by  the  inspirations  of  that  blind  beggar’s 
faith,  as  upon  a flood-tide  of  wonder  and  delight,  to  the 
more  faithfully  discharging  our  Christian  obligations  to 
the  perishing  souls  of  that  now  scattered,  yet  wondrously 
destined  people. 

First,  then,  as  to  the  faith  of  Bartimseus.  What  did 
he  mean  by  “ Son  of  David  ?”  Of  course,  that  Jesus  was 
descended  from  David.  Beyond  question,  however,  not 
barely  that ; but  also  something  as  involved  in  that.  The 
mere  idea  of  ancestry  could  have  been  worth  to  him  just 
nothing  at  all.  By  “ Son  of  David”  he  meant  office  as 
well  as  pedigree ; and  office  by  virtue  of  pedigree.  He 
meant  that  as  Jesus  was  descended  from  David,  so  did  he 
inherit  from  David ; that  as  being  the  Son,  so  must  he  be 
the  successor;  that  in  Him  would  be  continued  David’s 
kingdom  and  throne.  Such,  undoubtedly,  according  to 
the  universal  usage  of  human  speech,  is  the  true  analysis  of 
this  phrase ; and  such  we  know  to  have  been  at  that  time  the 
common  understanding.  For  do  you  not  remember  how, 
when  Jesus  rode  on  an  ass’s  colt  from  Bethphage  into 
Jerusalem,  the  marching  multitudes  shouted,  “Hosanna 
to  the  Son  of  David — Blessed  be  the  Kingdom  of  our 
father  David — Hosanna  in  the  highest;”  and  how  they 
pulled  oft'  their  garments  and  cast  them  in  the  way,  and 
cut  down  branches  off  the  trees  and  strewed  them  in  the 
way?  Thus,  conclusively,  the  people  took  part  in  that 
procession,  as  believing  it  to  be  the  pageantry  of  an  earthly 
royalty,  for  these  things  did  their  forefathers  when  Jehu 
was  made  king;  they  regarded  “ Son  of  David”  as  a visi- 
ble king,  and  as  being  so  by  virtue  of  Ilis  lineage  from 
King  David.  This  then  is  what  Bartimteus  meant  by  it ; 
any  different  interpretation  is  simply  impossible.  And,  of 
course,  this  was  the  construction  which  the  people  put 
upon  their  scriptures ; for  such  an  expectation  of  “ Son  of 


17 


David”  could  only  have  been  due  to  some  acknowledged 
authority  for  it.  They  found  in  their  scriptures  these  ex- 
press words:  “The  Lord  hath  sworn  unto  David,  of  the 

fruit  of  thy  body  will  I set  upon  thy  throne.  I will  make 
thee  an  house,  I will  set  up  thy  seed  after  thee,  and  thy 
house  and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  established  forever.  On 
Zion  (the  hill  of  Zion)  will  I make  the  horn  of  David  to 
bud  (a  new  horn  of  power  coming  up  in  place  of  the  old 
fallen  one).”  Especially,  the  prophet  Nathan  was  com- 
missioned to  convey  certain  tidings  to  King  David.  That 
monarch  of  Israel  had  revolved  the  thought  of  building  a 
house  for  God;  and  although  he  was  prevented  from  doing 
so,  it  became  the  occasion  of  his  receiving  this  message : 
“Also  the  Lord  telleth  thee,”  said  Nathan,  “that  He  will 
make  thee  an  house.  I will  set  up  thy  seed  after  thee, 
which  shall  proceed  out  of  thy  bowels,  and  will  establish 
His  kingdom,  and  the  throne  of  His  kingdom  for  ever. 
I a\I11  be  His  father,  and  He  shall  he  my  son.  Insomuch 
tlrat  when  guilt  is  laid  upon  Him,  although  I chasten  Him 
with  the  rod  due  unto  men,  yet  my  mercy  shall  not  depart 
from  Him.  And  thine  house  and  thy  kingdom  shall  he 
established  forever.  According  to  all  these  words,  and 
according  to  all  this  vision,  so  did  Nathan  speak  unto 
David.”*  This  communication,  you  will  perceive,  related 
to  Messiah ; for  that  no  less  a personage  than  He  is  here 
spoken  of  as  the  promised  descendant  of  David,  is  evident 
in  that  He  is  described  as  one  upon  whom  guilt  should  he 
laid,  and  who,  therefore,  should  he  chastened  with  the  rod 
due  unto  men.  And  it  concerned  the  fortunes  of  the 
Kinghood  of  David  himself,  since  it  made  known  the  in- 
tended establishment  for  ever  of  his  own  house  and  king- 
dom, and  pointed  out  the  mode  in  which  the  royalty  of 
David  was  designed  to  be  continued  and  perpetuated, 
namely,  in  and  by  the  person  and  reign  of  Messiah,  who, 
for  that  identical  reason  should  proceed  out  of  the  bowels 


* 2 Sam.  vii. ; 1 Chron.  xvii.  (Bp.  Horsley's  translation.) 
o 


18 


of  David — should  put  on  human  nature  in  the  very  lineage 
of  David;  and,  conversely,  whose  actual  hirtli  in  David’s 
line  should  prove  Ilis  sufficient  credentials  as  Heir  Appa- 
rent to  David’s  throne.  It  was  thus  made  known  to  David 
that  his  should  be  a perpetual  Kingdom,  and  especially 
that  it  should  be  perpetuated  by  transmission  from  him- 
self. And  yet  the  process  of  transmission  should  not  be 
perpetual ; there  was  not  to  be  an  endless  succession  of 
Kings ; but  the  Kingdom  should  be  inherited  by  one,  ulti- 
mately, in  whom  all  succession  would  terminate  by  reason 
of  His  being  Himself  a never-failing  successor.  In  what 
he  said  the  prophet  recognized  both  the  Godhead  of  Mes- 
siah and  His  atoning  work  for  the  sins  of  men ; but  it 
was  the  focus  in  which  concentrated  all  parts  of  his  com- 
munication, that  Messiah,  the  Divine  Priest  of  our  profes- 
sion, should  inherit  David’s  own  throne  and  kiugdom, 
and  that,  thus  inheriting,  He  should  occupy  forever.  And 
precisely  so  were  the  tidings  responded  to  : “ Then  went 

King  David  in,  and  sat  before  the  Lord,  and  he  said,  aMio 
am  I,  0 Lord  God  ? and  what  is  my  house , that  Thou  hast 
brought  me  hitherto  ? And  this  was  yet  a small  thing  in 
thy  sight,  0 Lord  God ! but  thou  hast  spoken  also  of  Thy 
servant’s  house  for  a great  while  to  come.  And  Thou  hast 
regarded  me  in  the  arrangement  about  The  Man  that  is  to 
be  from  above,  0 God  Jehovah.”*  These  words  arc  a de- 
monstration that  it  was  not  merely  the  promised  coming  of 
Messiah  which  Nathan  had  made  known ; to  say  nothing 
of  the  fact  that  this  was  not  the  first  time  David  had  heard 
of  the  Great  lledeemer.  Further,  that  it  was  not  simply 
the  counting  of  Messiah  among  David’s  posterity.  True 
enough,  that  any  man  should  have  been  made  sensible  of 
exalted  prominence  in  the  ancestral  arrangement  for  such 
a Personage,  was  a most  high  distinction  ; and  Abraham, 
David,  the  blessed  Virgin,  and  all  the  others,  cannot  but 
be  regarded  as  forming  the  peerless  line  of  earth’s  nobility. 


* 2 Sam.  vii. ; 1 Chron.  xvii.  (I5p.  Ilorslev’a  translation.) 


19 


Still  such  was  not  the  head  and  front  of  David’s  acknowl 
edgment  before  God.  But  the  summit  of  the  news  was 
this — that,  as  the  progenitor,  according  to  the  flesh,  of  the 
incarnate  God,  David  should  entail  upon  Him  his  own 
throne  and  kingdom  ; that  that  same  royal  house,  which  God 
had  founded  in  the  person  of  David,  should  re-appear  and 
be  continued  in  the  person  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ; 
and  this  was  that  famous  covenant  of  God  with  David  of 
which  we  hear  so  much,  and  which  exerted  so  directive  an 
influence  over  subsequent  Scriptures.  And  so,  “ Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  if  ye  can  break  my  covenant  of  the  day, 
and  my  covenant  of  the  night,  and  that  there  should  not 
be  day  and  night  in  their  season,  then  may  also  my  cove- 
nant be  broken  with  David,  my  servant,  that  he  should  not 
have  a son  to  reign  upon  his  throne.”  “For  unto  us  a 
child  is  born,  unto  us  a Son  is  given,  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  His  shoulder;  and  His  name  shall  be  called 
Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  mighty  God,  the  Father  of  the 
everlasting  age,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of 
His  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the 
throne  of  David  and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to 
establish  it,  even  forever.”  These  words,  I say,  and  many 
others  like  them,  the  people  found  expressly  declared,  and, 
as  we  have  seen,  they  exemplified  what  was  their  under- 
standing of  such  words.  Whether  right  or  wrong  in  their 
interpretation,  they  did  hold  that  thus  they  were  author- 
ized to  expect  the  coming  of  a lineal  King  of  the  house 
of  David — the  recoverer  of  the  fallen  throne  of  David,  the 
re-establislier  of  the  visible  Kingdom  of  David.  And,  of 
necessity,  as  being  one  of  the  people,  poor  blind  Bartimaaus 
had  caught  the  contagion  of  this  same  understanding  of 
scripture  ; thus  he  felt,  whether  right  or  wrong,  and  that  he 
was  honoring  the  very  authority  of  God,  in  regarding  Jesus 
as  the  reviver  of  David’s  royalty.  But  the  meaning  of  Bar- 
timseus  went  still  further;  forasmuch  as  he  besought  this 
Prince  of  the  house  of  David  to  take  away  his  blindness. 
His  business  on  the  highway  was  simply  that  of  a common 


20 


beggar ; but  now,  instead  of  soliciting  the  usual  alms,  lie 
desires  a miraculous  blessing.  Whence  this  alteration  in 
his  begging  ? Only  from  what  he  believed  to  be  the  dif- 
ference between  Jesus  and  all  other  passers  by ; and  that 
difference  he  summed  up  in  the  word,  “ Son  of  David.” 
He  had  not  thought  of  begging  for  such  a piece  of  charity, 
had  not  Son  of  David  been  passing  by ; but  we  see  that 
he  did  think  of  it  the  very  instant  he  believed  it  to  be  so. 
In  his  view,  then,  Son  of  David,  as  such,  was  possessed  of 
most  extraordinary  power.  He  did  believe  that  the  raiser 
up  of  David’s  throne  would  exert  from  that  throne  a power 
which  David  never  had — a power  which  should  be  even 
the  concpieror  of  nature,  and  the  spring-head  of  various 
blessedness  to  a suffering  world.  And,  as  he  believed,  so 
must  others  have  believed  ; for  a sightless  object  like  him 
could  only  have  been  an  echo  to  the  people.  How  the 
people  found  in  their  scriptures  such  like  descriptions  of 
Son  of  David  as  the  following : “ He  shall  judge  the  poor 

of  the  people ; He  shall  save  the  children  of  the  needy  ; 
He  shall  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  as 
showers  that  water  the  earth.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  un- 
stopped; then  shall  the  lame  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the 
tongue  of  the  dumb  sing.  And  the  tree  of  the  lield  shall 
yield  her  fruit,  and  the  earth  shall  yield  her  increase  ; the 
plowman  shall  overtake  the  reaper,  and  the  treader  of 
grapes  him  that  sowetli  seed;  and  the  mountains  shall 
drop  sweet  wine,  and  all  the  hills  shall  melt.  In  his  days 
shall  be  abundance  of  peace,  so  long  as  the  moon  cn- 
dureth.  lie  shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and 
from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.”  Such  was 
their  authority  for  the  expectations  they  entertained. 
Whether  rightly  or  wrongly,  they  did  hold,  that,  accord- 
ing to  such  like  scriptures,  Son  of  David  would  not  only 
resuscitate  the  Kingdom  of  his  father,  but  that  same  King- 
dom He  would  make  incomparably  more  glourious  than 
ever:  a kingdom  whose  scat  of  power  would  be  that  fallen 


throne  rcbuildcd,  but  whose  triumphs  of  power  would  be 
seen  in  the  conquest  of  even  the  infirmities  and  the  ills  of 
life.  Thus  it  Avas  that  Son  of  David  came  to  be  the  peo- 
ple’s word  of  hope — the  word  of  power  and  of  lo\re,  the 
one  note  of  acclamation,  the  one  flame  of  enthusiasm,  the 
one  theme  of  song,  the  one  pulse  of  the  nation’s  joy.  As 
long  as  the  people  believed  in  this  identity  of  Jesus,  then 
they  glorified  Him  Avith  shout  and  homage ; but  Avhen, 
instigated  by  Avicked  men,  they  ceased  to  believe  in  it, 
then  their  hosannas  were  turned  into  the  mobocratic  cry, 
Crucify  Him,  crucify  Him.  What  then  Avas  the  faith  of 
Bartimaeus  ? He  held  flrmly  to  this  identity  of  Jesus. 
In  the  keeness  of  his  misery  he  was  a self-thoughtful  man, 
and  elevated  above  the  fickleness  of  the  multitude.  For 
himself,  then  and  thereafter,  Jesus  must  be  Son  of  David  ; 
Avith  the  keen  instinct  of  a sufferer,  and  in  his  deepest 
convictions,  he  could  tolerate  nothing  else ; he  did  pro- 
foundly believe  it.  And  as  he  believed  that  Jesus  Avas  Son 
of  David,  so  for  that  very  reason  did  he  trust  in  Jesus. 
He  trusted  in  Him  to  take  away  his  blindness  precisely 
because  he  held  Him  to  be  tlie  successor  of  David,  and  the 
rebuilder  of  David’s  earthly  throne.  Listen  to  his  peti- 
tions : “ Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me ; ” and 

the  second  time,  “ Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.”  In 
his  first  petition,  using  the  ordinary  address,  Jesus,  he 
qualities  it  by  the  addition  of  Son  of  David;  and  then 
dropping  every  other  name,  he  says  only  Son  of  David — 
presenting  it  in  all  the  majesty  of  its  singleness,  as  just 
that  on  which  he  rested  the  entire  weight  of  his  prayer. 
Thus,  “ Son  of  DaArid”  was  the  sole  plea  he  made  use  of 
in  asking  for  sight.  Hay,  that  second  uttering  of  Son  of 
David  had  in  it  a sublime  defiance  of  difficulties  ; for  itAvas 
his  own  mode  of  ansAvering  the  rebuke  of  the  multitude. 
His  thinking  of  Son  of  David  was  Avhat  kindled  up  his 
courage,  and  assured  him,  in  the  very  face  of  rebuke,  that 
even  he,  a poor  sightless  Avretch,  would  be  listened  to  ; and 
Ave  see  his  faith  as  “ leaping  over  a Avail”  in  the  buoyancy  of 


22 


the  expression,  “ 0,  Son  of  David.”  Nor  did  he  let  go 
this  word  till  he  had  achieved  his  success — till  Jesus  had 
invited  him  to  come,  and  even  to  say  what  he  willed  to 
have  done — then,  when  already  he  had  virtually  gained  his 
purpose,  he  expressed  his  quieted  confidence  in  the  words, 
“Lord,  that  I might  receive  my  sight.” 

It  is  impossible  not  to  see  that  Son  of  David  was  the 
one  triumphant  argument  of  his  interest.  It  was  not  a 
mere  epithet — one  of  several  indifferent  forms  of  address, 
hut  the  characterization  precisely  descriptive  and  all-pre- 
vailing; the  one  word  of  all  his  yearning  heart,  the  au- 
thorization of  his  hopes,  and  the  very  pleading  of  his 
prayers.  His  whole  consciousness  was  astir  at  the  word. 
It  was  not  a fossil  name  dug  up  from  the  graveyard  of  an- 
tiquated things ; but  a warm  and  living  truth,  a thought 
of  power,  the  sum  total  of  his  soul’s  delight.  In  fine,  it 
was  to  him  the  sole  expression  of  all  the  preciousness  of 
Jesus. 

Now  you  cannot  uproot  a faith  like  that;  nor  can  you 
do  much  as  promoting  the  gospel  among  such  a people,  if 
at  the  same  time  you  have  no  sympathy  with  them  in  it ; 
for  it  is  to  them  the  most  cherished  feature  of  their  Messi- 
anic hopes. 

And,  now  in  the  second  place,  notice  this — that  Jesus 
did  expressly  commend  the  faith  of  Bartircueus.  As  we 
have  seen,  he  expected  Jesus  to  bless  him,  precisely  and 
only  for  the  reason  that  he  held  Him  to  be  Son  of 
David.  And  so  believing,  all  his  interest  and  gladness 
and  courage  and  urgency  and  trust,  all  came  from  what 
he  believed  to  be  the  scriptural  meaning  of  Son  of  David. 
This  was  the  faith  which  precisely  the  blind  man  had  ; this 
it  was,  then,  which  Jesus  expressly  commended.  Did 
Bartimseus  have  an  irrepressible  confidence  in  the  truth 
of  his  views,  and  exult  in  them  as  furnishing  forth  his  own 
feeling  of  the  preciousness  of  Jesus  ? Such  was  the  faith 
which  Jesus  commended.  Not  abstractly  the  mere  feeling 
of  trust,  but  also  the  matter  of  his  trusting:  for  never  do 


the  Scriptures  exhort  us  to  mere  belief  as  dissevered  from 
its  object,  but  always  to  the  belief  of  the  truth.  Other- 
wise the  act  of  trust  in  Jesus  would  be  degraded  into 
merely  a senseless  charm.  Jesus,  then,  did  pronounce  in 
favor  of  the  substantial  correctness  of  this  man’s  view’s  of 
Himself.  Accordingly,  did  He  not  evidence  forth  the  same 
approval  in  accepting  from  the  shouting  multitudes  the 
spreading  of  their  garments  in  the  road,  and  the  strewing 
along  of  the  triumphal  branches  ? For  thus  lie  did  ap- 
propriate to  Himself  a part  of  the  customary  ceremonial 
of  a new  accession  to  the  throne. 

And  the  commendation  of  the  faith  of  Bartimieus  was 
also  the  endorsement,  as  to  this  particular  matter,  of  the 
then  current  understanding  of  the  Scriptures.  So  far  as  it 
concerned  the  visible  form  and  the  transcendent  glory  of 
the  Davidic  kinghood  of  Jesus,  He  did  thus  Himself  assure 
the  nation  that  they  had  the  true  meaning  of  their  Bible. 
Undoubtedly,  their  views  were  exceedingly  defective,  and, 
in  certain  connections  of  the  subject,  utterly  false.  For 
instance,  that  the  re-established  kingdom  of  David  would 
be  one  of  perfect  righteousness  and  heavenly  purity ; a 
kingdom  not  in  fellowship  with  the  corruptions  of  this 
present  evil  world,  but  crushing  and  destructive  to  every 
work  of  sin  ; an  earthly  kingdom,  and  yet  in  most  jubilant 
harmony  with  all  the  spotless  splendor  of  God ; this  teach- 
ing, I say,  of  their  scriptures,  the  mass  of  the  people  had 
failed  to  take  in.  What  was  the  true  dignity,  wdiat  the 
amazing  condescensions  of  Son  of  David ; that  lie  was 
not  only  David’s  son,  but  also  David’s  Lord,  that  while, 
according  to  the  flesh,  He  inherited  David’s  throne,  yet 
was  he  the  Adam  from  above ; Emmanuel,  God  with 
us, — here  again  they  had  skipped  the  meaning  of  their 
Scriptures.  Especiall}’,  that  Son  of  David  must  first  pass 
through  great  sufferings  ; that  He  should  be  a man  of  sor- 
rows and  acquainted  with  grief;  even  smitten  of  God, 
wounded,  bruised,  afflicted, — such  words  of  Holy  Writ  they 
made  no  account  of,  but  thought  only  of  the  predicted 


24 


glory,  very  much  as  we  are  prone,  reversely,  to  make 
but  little  of  his  glory,  and  to  think  quite  exclusively  of 
His  sufferings.  Least  of  all  did  they  perceive  that  in  those 
sufferings  were  to  be  laid  the  very  foundations  of  Ilis  visi- 
ble kingdom  on  earth ; that  as  on  Him  should  be  laid  the 
iniquity  of  us  all,  so  out  of  His  stripes  should  come  the 
world’s  healing,  and  that  this  should  be  the  name  whereby 
He  should  be  called,  Jehovah,  our  Righteousness,  and  there- 
fore that  out  of  His  fatal  sufferings  He  should  even  come 
forth  to  see  of  His  travail  and  be  satisfied ; and  that  thus 
and  therefore  should  lie  be  the  predicted  Branch  of  David, 
a king,  to  reign  and  prosper,  to  execute  judgment  and 
justice  in  the  earth.  All  these  things,  so  plaiuly  stated  in 
their  scriptures,  they  failed  to  see ; nevertheless  they  did 
see  that  Son  of  David  should  be  a visible  king  among  men, 
reigning  in  David’s  throne  on  the  hill  of  Zion,  and  wield- 
ing an  all-conquering  power  over  both  man  and  earth — 
wherein  they  were  right.  Of  course,  with  such  defective- 
ness of  view,  they  had  no  adequate  appreciation  of  the 
predicted  kingdom,  nor  were  they  prepared  for  entrance 
into  it,  for  only  a man  converted  from  the  love  of  sin,  and 
justified  in  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  could  be 
in  full  sympathy  with  a kingdom,  whose  king  had  achieved 
His  throne  by  means  of  dying  for  the  sins  of  Ilis  subjects. 
But  what  they  did  understand  was  a thing  of  beauty  and 
joy  to  their  aching,  panting  hearts — a king  of  men,  and  a 
king  among  men,  and  Ilis  dominions  as  the  garden  of  the 
Lord. 

Now  the  difference  between  Bart  imams  and  the  mass  of 
thepeople  seems  to  have  been  this — that  although  he  had  no 
true  conception  of  all  the  scriptural  harmonies  of  the  Da- 
vidic  kingdom  any  more  than  had  they,  yet  he  was  in  just 
that  state  of  heart  that  had  he  known  it  all,  he  would  have 
given  up  his  confidence  to  it  as  thoroughly  and  gladly  as 
to  that  which  already  he  knew.  It  seems  that  his  afflic- 
tion, by  the  grace  of  God,  had  chastened  his  spirit,  and 
somewhat  purged  him  from  the  corrupt  self-seeking  of  the 


world ; no  scriptural  view  of  Son  of  David  could  now  have 
offended  him ; like  the  paralytic  in  the  Gospel,  he  had 
faith  in  it  all  potentially , though  not  as  yet  actively.  In 
common  with  his  countrymen,  he  did  not  appreciate  the 
lowliness  of  Jesus.  Dazzled  and  ravished  by  the  bright 
side  of  the  truth,  he  had  become  a one-sided  believer,  and 
knew  not  that  the  darkness  of  the  nether  side  was  indis- 
pensable to  the  brightness  of  the  opposite,  even  as  the 
morning-glories  are  begotten  of  the  night,  and  our  broad 
daylight  is  just  the  counterpart  of  the  darkness  of  our 
antipodes.  But  unlike  the  most  of  his  countrymen,  the 
faith  of  the  beggar  did  not  stumble  at  the  lowliness.  lie 
did  not  understand  it ; but  although  a difficulty,  it  was 
not  an  objection  in  his  mind.  lie  rested  on  the  sufficient 
evidence  in  spite  of  the  seeming  contradiction  ; and  in  this 
willingness  of  his  heart  he  did  virtually  embrace  both  sides 
of  the  subject,  though  not  apprehending  the  harmony  be- 
tween them.  His  was  just  the  heart  to  have  wept  over  its 
sins  and  have  clung  to  atoning  blood,  and  rejoiced  in  Jesus’ 
righteousness,  and  loved  the  prospect  of  so  pure  and  holy 
a kiugdom  ; and  so  we  may  well  imagine  what  a sympathy 
of  delight  Jesus  felt  in  assuring  him  that  he  had  so  much 
of  a true  faith,  and  in  blessing  him  for  his  devotion  to  the 
Davidie  kingdom,  and  saying  to  him,  “Thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole.” 

From  all  which  it  appears  that  the  re-established  king- 
dom of  David  is  to  be  the  very  summit  of  the  work  of 
redemption,  so  far  as  this  present  world  is  concerned.  It 
was  needful  for  Him  to  suffer,  to  die,  to  rise  from  the  dead, 
to  go  away  for  awhile;  but  like  the  nobleman  of  the  para- 
ble, He  has  gone  into  a far  country  in  order  to  the  act  of 
inauguration,  and  then  like  the  same  nobleman,  He  will 
return  to  set  up  His  throne  and  occupy  His  kingdom  ; to 
reign  on  Mount  Zion  before  His  ancients  gloriously — to 
make  the  hearts  of  the  world  willing  iu  the  day  of  His 
power — to  cover  the  earth  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
to  subdue  the  hostility  of  nature,  to  touch  the  winds  in 


26 


their  fuiy  with  His  sceptre,  and  to  make  them  he  still ; to 
make  the  light  of  the  moon  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and 
the  light  of  the  sun  sevenfold,  to  enthrill  creation  with  the 
music  of  that  one  resounding  song,  0,  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ ! And  shall  we  not,  therefore,  deal  with 
the  Jews  amongst  whom  we  would  labor  in  the  service  of 
the  gospel  as  did  Jesus  with  Bartimseus, — take  them  into 
our  sympathies  from  precisely  their  own  point  of  view  ? 

And  now,  thirdly,  think  for  a moment  that  not  only  was 
it  a correct  faith,  hut  also  effective  even  for  the  time  then 
being.  It  procured  for  Bartimaeus  the  gift  and  blessed- 
ness of  seeing.  He  believed,  and  immediately  he  received 
his  sight.  That  was  an  actual  instance  of  how  productive 
is  such  subject-matter  of  faith.  The  truth  believed  in  was 
the  kinghood  of  Son  of  David ; the  living  reality  of  the 
truth  believed  in  gave  the  blind  man  his  sight.  Such  sub- 
ject-matter of  faith  is  not  a dead  carcass  of  curious  fancies, 
but  the  truth  of  the  living  God,  quick  and  powerful.  True, 
the  Davidic  kinghood  belongs  to  the  age  to  come — will  he 
the  great  central  fact  of  the  age  to  come — but  the  Scrip- 
ture speaks  expressly  of  a present  testing  of  the  poivcr  of  the 
ago  to  come.  That  is,  as  it  were,  the  coming  event  casts 
its  shadow  before.  There  are  forerunners  of  the  great  re- 
generation. The  age  to  come  lias  been  stationing  its 
pickets  all  along  the  course  of  time,  and  by  a victory  here 
and  there  has  given  earnests  of  what  it  will  do  when  all 
its  splendid  battalions  have  been  marshaled  in  actual  array. 
Son  of  David  is  yet  to  appear  in  Ilis  royalty;  meanwhile, 
however,  the  world  has  been  echoing  to  the  resounding 
tread  of  her  advancing  King.  Here,  for  instance,  a touch, 
a word,  and  the  work  was  done — blindness  dissolved  into 
perfect  sight.  It  was  both  proof  and  example  of  the  uni- 
versal glory  of  the  time  to  come ; both  proof  and  example 
of  the  ease  and  thoroughness  of  all  those  predicted  reno- 
vations by  the  agency  of  Son  of  David.  It  will  not  be  till 
then,  indeed,  that  distorted  nature  shall  he  rectified,  and 
all  its  latent  energies  developed;  hut  already  sicknesses 


have  fled,  and  blooming  health  has  smiled  at  the  word  of 
Son  of  David;  the  very  water  hath  blushed  into  wine;  a 
Bartimseus  has  been  made  to  see,  a Lazarus  raised  from 
the  dead.  These  were  earnests  of  the  age  to  come.  It 
will  not  he  till  then  that  the  Better  Covenant  will  assert 
itself  over  the  hearts  of  men  in  all  the  greatness  of  its 
power,  and  its  terms  of  grace,  “ I will,”  “ They  shall,”  he 
uttered  in  the  ivorld-tvide  voice  of  David’s  Son  and  Lord  ; 
nevertheless,  even  now  we  catch  the  scattering  rain  drops 
of  the  impending  flood,  and  here  and  there  a Lydia  is  made 
free  in  the  constraining  love  of  the  Better  Covenant. 
Oh,  how  productive  it  is,  this  destined  kingdom  of  Son  of 
David.  IIow  far  away  from  being  a speculative  subject  of 
thought  or  a matter  of  indifference.  IIow  it  lights  up  the 
Aice  of  gloom,  and  makes  sorrow  sparkle  through  her  tears. 
It  is  such  a faith  as  we  need ; it  can  out-sing  the  illusions 
of  sin,  and  its  tested  sweetness  seems  only  better  and  bet- 
ter. And  thus,  also,  the  healing  of  Bartimseus  was  an 
instance  of  how  productive  is  the  mental  exercise  of  such 
faith  ; for  it  was  his  own  hearty  trusting  which  brought  his 
blind  eyes  under  the  touch  of  Son  of  David’s  power. 
Bartimseus  delighted  in  Son  of  David  the  King,  and  Son 
of  David  delighted  in  Bartimseus  the  believer ; his  faith 
honored  the  scriptures,  and  glorified  the  Saviour.  Our 
own  exercises  of  heart  must  put  us  into  connection  with 
the  subject.  We  learn  how  blessed  it  is  to  have  familiar 
thoughts  of  it — scriptural  thoughts — earnest  thoughts 
The  Saviour  doth  love  to  have  us  entertain  it — to  have  us 
cultivate  it — to  have  us  exult  in  it — to  have  us  he  looking 
for  His  glorious  appearing. 

And,  now,  in  conclusion,  suppose  for  an  instant  that  you 
might  blot  out  this  hope  from  all  the  horizon  of  Christian 
thought.  So  far  as  the  future  of  this  world  is  concerned, 
the  blackness  of  darkness  would  take  its  place.  For  look 
hack  to  that  first  promise  God  ever  made  to  fallen  man  ; 
and  thence  look  onward,  and  see  how  that  first  promise 
developed  into  the  promises  to  Abraham,  to  Jacob,  to 


23 


David,  to  Isaiah,  to  Daniel,  to  Amos,  to  Micah:  why,  they 
all  are  summed  up  hy  God  himself  in  that  one  prophetic 
word,  “I  have  set  my  king  on  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.” 
Consider,  too,  how  comprehensive  were  the  operations  of 
Divine  prophecy, — what  a boundless  range  of  view,  still 
what  microscopic  details — the  many-charactered  agents 
whose  pens  and  tongues  it  made  use  of,  whether  kings  or 
herdsmen,  patriarchs,  lawgivers,  or  heroes — its  word- 
predictions,  its  imposing  symbols,  its  mapping  out  of  dis- 
tant times  and  events — its  temple  ceremonies — its  poetry, 
its  language,  now  simple  as  infant  lips  might  try,  now 
beautiful  in  its  rhythmical  flow,  and  anon  the  most  gor- 
geous the  world  ever  heard, — and  yet  almost  that  whole 
immensity  of  Old  Testament  means  and  appliances — 
nearly  all  of  that  universe  of  prophecy — was  expressly 
designed  of  God  for  setting  forth — what?  God  himself 
givetk  us  the  answer — “ I will  make  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David.” 

Turn  now  to  the  Gentile  peoples,  and  see  how  they  have 
been  longing  for  the  deliverance  of  the  world  from  its  dis- 
orders ; how,  as  beset  hy  difficulties,  bewildered  by  philo- 
sophy, crushed  hy  suffering,  yet  instinctively  feeling  that 
this  world  could  not  he  abandoned  of  its  God,  they  sang 
of  the  golden  age  to  come : read  the  Roman  annalists, 
Suetonius  and  Tacitus,  who  show  that  men  were  standing 
tiptoe,  and  stretching  upward  their  thoughts  to  the  coming 
of  a Great  Unknown:  listen  to  the  foremost  man  of  all 
Greece  as  exclaiming,  “ Oh,  when  shall  that  time  come. 
IIow  greatly  do  I desire  to  see  that  man  who  he  is:”  so 
that  even  heathendom  may  teach  us,  that  of  all  the  possi- 
ble hopes  of  the  human  race  as  such,  this  is  what  hath  in 
it  the  most  of  a genuine  humanness  of  sweetness  and 
power.  Yes,  Jesus  as  the  destined  king  on  David’s 
throne, — my  brethren,  it  is  no  new  thing  that  even  Gentiles 
should  exult  in  this  specific  view  of  the  Saviour.  The 
intense  Jewishness  of  it,  indeed,  is  the  very  light  of  our 
own  Epiphany  Festival ; for  Gentiles  they  were  who  came 


21) 


from  the  East,  asking,  in  the  days  of  Ilerod  the  King,  for 
Him  who  was  just  then  bom  King  of  the  Jews.  Ilerod, 
an  Ascalonite  by  birth,  was  disqualified  for  the  office  he 
actually  held ; that  old  tyrant  was  an  usurper.  Here, 
then,  was  the  distinction  recognized  by  writers  on  the 
laws  of  nations:  Ilerod  was  king  de  facto,  Jesus  de  jure  ; 
Herod  the  usurper,  Jesus  the  rightful  Heir.  The  legiti- 
mate kings  of  that  people  were  of  the  race  of  David  ; and 
they  were  kings  jure  divino,  because  kings  by  force  of 
God’s  covenant  with  that  patriarch.  But  why  should 
those  pilgrims  of  the  East  have  been  moved  of  God  to 
undergo  their  long  journey  simply  to  find  a true  king  of 
the  Jews  ? How  strange  at  first  sight  it  is,  that  they,  a 
people  entirely  distinct,  should  have  come  so  far,  and  so 
persistently,  to  pay  their  homage  precisely  to  a Jewish 
king,  and  for  the  reason  that  He  was  Jewish.  However 
may  be  accounted  for  their  expectation  of  a great  coming 
king  of  the  Jews,  certain  it  is  that  they  regarded  his  Jewish 
Kinghood  as  destined  to  be  a great  blessing  to  the  world ; 
and  in  honor  of  this  their  belief,  God  gave  them  the 
guidance  of  the  miraculous  star.  How,  the  coveuant  of 
the  kingdom,  under  which  Jesus  was  born  King  of  Israel, 
has  for  its  object  no  less  than  the  re-establishment  of  the 
Theocracy,  though  in  a higher  and  more  glorious  form 
than  before ; and  with  the  restoration  of  the  Theocracy  to 
Israel,  God  has  inseparably  connected  the  restoration  of 
the  world  to  himself:  the  latter  following,  of  necessity, 
upon  the  other.  The  kind  of  government  appointed  for 
the,  tribes  of  Israel  was  purely  theocratical ; God  himself 
ruling  over  them  as  their  immediate  and  absolute  king. 
And  as  an  earthly  king  resides  in  his  palace  among  his 
people,  has  his  ministers  of  government,  and  administers 
the  affairs  of  his  empire,  so  God  dwelt  in  the  Tabernacle 
among  the  people  by  the  symbol  of  his  glorious  presence 
above  the  Ark,  where  the  cherubim,  writh  outstretched 
wings,  exhibited  the  royal  throne  on  which  rested  the 
cloud  glittering  with  fire ; and  Moses,  and  Aaron,  and 


30 


others,  were  Ills  ministers  ; nor  could  treaties  be  formed 
with  the  nations,  nor  wars  waged,  without  Ilis  own  imme- 
diate command.  And  while  the  Theocracy  remained  un- 
changed from  its  original  institution,  the  commonwealth 
of  Israel  prospered.  But  for  their  rebellions  and  sins,  and 
after  considerably  modifying  it,  at  length  God  withdrew 
the  Theocracy  from  Israel ; and  according  to  Ilis  message 
to  Nebuchadnezzar,  committed  to  the  Gentile  nations  the 
supremacy  of  governmental  power  in  the  earth,  though 
not  at  all  in  the  form  of  a Theocracy  ; and  that  supremacy 
of  power  the  Gentile  peoples  have  continued  ever  since  to 
hold  and  abuse  ; ruling  separately  from  God,  in  the  might 
of  their  own  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  their  own  ma- 
jesty, in  the  midst  of  continual  upturnings  and  mutations, 
of  confusions,  and  all  evil  works,  till  the  whole  surface  of 
the  globelias  been  cultivated  into  fields  of  blood,  and  it  is  as 
if  the  lion,  the  leopard,  and  the  bear,  had  been  turned  loose 
to  hold  high  carnival  among  the  denizens  of  the  forest. 
Oh,  for  the  restoration  of  the  Theocracy  ! It  is  the  only 
thing  for  the  nations ; a theocracy,  however,  not  such  as 
was  fanatically  dreamed  of  by  Fifth-monarchy  men  in 
England,  nor  by  any  speculatist,  but  such  as  God  has  ex- 
pressly provided  for  in  the  Person  of  His  own  Eternal  Son. 
And,  in  order  to  this,  long  before  the  withdrawal  of  it,  God 
chose  David,  and  graciously  condescended  to  make  with 
Him  a covenant,  that  just  as  he  was  become  king  under 
the  immediate  arrangement  and  supervision  of  God,  so  the 
Christ,  descended  from  him  according  to  the  flesh,  should 
come  at  length  into  his  place,  and  rule  divinely,  but  more 
gloriously,  the  people  of  Israel.  And  then  that  Gentile 
grant  of  supremacy  of  governmental  power  in  the  earth 
shall  be  revoked,  and  Israel  again  be  set  forth  as  a praise 
and  a blessing  amongst  the  nations.  But  not  as  the 
former  theocracy,  so  shall  the  latter  be ; for  now  it  is  Jesus 
Christ  who  will  take  to  Ilimself  Ilis  great  power,  and 
reign.  The  land  of  Israel,  bearing  upon  her  bosom  “the 
city  of  the  Great  Xing,  the  city  of  the  Lord,  the  Zion  of 


fil 

the  Holy  one  of  Israel,”  will  be  made  “ an  eternal  excel- 
lency, a joy  of  many  generations.”  She  shall  then  have 
gold  for  brass,  and  silver  for  iron,  and  brass  for  wood,  and 
iron  for  stones:  all  the  sounds  of  discord  and  violence 
hushed  forever  within  her  borders;  her  officers,  peace — 
her  exactors,  righteousness — her  walls,  salvation — her 
gates,  praise.  For  Ilia  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day 
of  Ilis  power;  they  shall  all  be  righteous;  they  shall 
inherit  the  land  forever,  the  branch  of  God’s  own  plant- 
ing, the  work  of  Ilis  hands,  that  He  may  be  glorified. 
And  the  Lord  shall  be  their  everlasting  light,  and  the  days 
of  their  mourning  shall  be  ended.  But  if,  saith  the  Apos- 
tle, the  present  lapsed  condition  of  Israel  be  the  occasion 
of  an  outpouring  of  God’s  riches  of  mercy  upon  the  Gen- 
tiles, how  much  more  their  fulness?  Much  better  for  the 
nations  will  be  Israel’s  honor,  than  Israel’s  disgrace.  Yea, 
the  Lord  shall  be  king  of  the  whole  earth  in  that  day ; and 
the  Gentiles  shall  see  light  in  the  light  of  the  Theocracy, 
and  in  the  brightness  of  its  rising.  And  all  the  forces  of 
the  Gentiles,  the  abundance  of  the  sea,  the  multitude  of 
camels,  the  dromedaries  of  Midian  and  Ephah,  the  flocks 
of  Kedar,  the  rams  of  Yebaioth,  the  gold  and  the  silver 
and  the  incense — all  shall  be  controlled  by  one  prevailing 
feeling  of  consecration  to  God. 

And  so,  when  I think  of  that  Star  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
I watch  it  as  again  it  sublimely  appears  to  lead  the  way 
from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  and  I see  it,  as  though  it 
were  the  Eye  of  God,  resting  in  its  course,  and  looking 
down  with  its  beams  of  light  upon  the  very  roof  which 
covers  the  infant  King,  I am  ravished  with  a divine  amaze- 
ment at  the  deep-toned  harmony  of  the  scene  with  all  the 
. yearnings  of  the  human  race,  and  I feel  exultingly  that 
found  at  last  is  the  True  Restorer  of  the  world.  Blot  out 
this  hope  of  the  Davidic  Kinghood  of  Jesus?  hlot  it  out 
from  the  teeming  Bible  ! blot  it  out  from  our  human 
yearnings  ! Yo,  verily  ; a thousand  times,  Is  o.  If  the 
nations  go  on  tumbling  to  pieces,  we  hold  on  to  this  hope. 


If  poverty,  distress,  persecution,  nakedness,  befall  man- 
kind, we  look  Zionward,  and  smile  in  sympathy  with  the 
coming  change.  For  there  I see  “ Great  David’s  Greater 
Son there  I see  that  not  one  thing  will  be  left  which 
shall  not  be  put  under  Him : the  Lord  hath  said  it,  and 
the  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  will  accomplish  it. 

But  I ask  myself  this  one  question — Am  I ready  for  the 
kingdom  ? Am  I now  loyal  to  the  coming  King  ? Doth 
He  now  reign  in  my  heart  as  the  Divine  Saviour  from  sin  ? 
The  atoning  blood  which  alone  hath  made  possible  His 
kingdom  in  so  glorious  an  outward  form — is  that  my  re- 
fuge ? Am  I now  His  penitent,  trusting,  loving  worship- 
per? Have  I righteousness,  peace,  and  joy,  in  the  Holy 
Ghost  ? for  such  is  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  heart. 
And  if  thus  I am  ready  for  the  kingdom  in  its  develop- 
ment in  the  earth,  then  I shall  be  here  to  see  it,  and  even 
share  in  it.  Aye,  those  that  sleep  in  Jesus  will  He  bring 
with  him  ; the  earth  and  the  sea  shall  give  up  their  dead  ; 
and  the  children  of  the  resurrection  shall  themselves  be 
kings  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Saviour. 


